Temporary-burial vault.



' J. ST. CLAIR.

TEMPORARY BURIAL VAULT.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1911. 1,01 4, 14, Patented Jan. 9, 1912.

JOSEPH ST. CLAIR, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

TEMPORARY-BURIAL VAULT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented J an. 9, 1912.

Application filed May 8, 1911. Serial No. 625,698.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH ST. CLAIR, a citizen of France, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Temporary- Burial Vaults, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in temporary burial vaults,

- and has for its object to provide a device of this character formed of concrete, porcelain or a combination of the two in which a coffin may be placed and the vault sealed for burial.

A further object of the invention is to provide a temporary burial vault with improved means for closing and sealing the same, said seal being of such nature that it may be readily and quickly broken when so desired, and the coffin removed for shipment.

WVith these ends in view, this invention consists in the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same, I will describe its construction in detail, referring by letter to' the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a perspective view of a burial vault made in accordance with my improvement, portions thereof being broken away. Fig. 2, an enlarged plan view of a portion of said vault, showing the manner of closing the same; and Fig. 3, a section at the line aca of Fig. 2.

In carrying out my invention as here embodied, 2 represents the burial vault comprising a bottom 3, top 4, side walls 5 and an end not shown, molded together in a form, leaving one end 6 open. The top 4 is slightly shorter than the other walls of the vault so that said other walls project beyond the top at the open end, and in these projecting ends is formed a groove 7. In the side walls of this groove are formed other grooves 8, 9 and 10 with which aline the grooves 11, 12 and 13 formed in the end and face walls of the tongue 14 produced with the cover 15. In the wall of the bottom groove which corresponds to the groove 7, is formed a groove 16 and in the edge of the top 4 is formed a similar groove 17 both of said grooves being incommunication with the groove 8. After the coffin has been placed in the vault and the cover 15 set in position, a soft, liquid sealing substance 18 is poured into the grooves and when it hardens will hermetically seal the vault. This sealing substance may be plaster of Paris or other similar substance which will harden sufficiently to keep the parts together and make a good seal, and yet which is relatively soft and may be readily broken when so desired, permitting the coffin to be removed.

The burial vault here described is formed of cement or porcelain, but preferably of a combination of the two, that is the body or core of the vault is to be made of cement and then coated with the porcelain to give it a glazed finish and strengthen the same. I

By constructing a device of this character in the manner described, a vault is obtained which'will be inexpensive in the cost of manufacture, thus placing it within reach of the poorer class; it provides a device from which a coffin may be readily removed and shipped in case the relatives of the dead desire to have the same removed to a cemetery in the city where they are about to settle. Further, if this vault is buried and never removed the decay of the coffin in time will not cause the grave mound to sink, thus saving expense and labor.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction as here shown, as these may be varied within the limits of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and useful, is

1. A burial vault comprising a box like structure of cement, open at one end, the top wall being shorter than the remaining walls, said remaining walls having a groove therein, the walls of said groove having longitudinally extending grooves formed therein', the top wall having a groove formed in its edge, a cover slidably mounted in the first named grooves, and a sealing substance entering the last named grooves for hermetically sealing the vault.

2. A burial vault comprising a box like structure of cement, open at one end, the top wall being shorter than the remaining walls,

said remaining walls having a groove 'therein, the walls of said groove having longitudinally extending grooves formed therein, the top wall having a groove formed in its edge, a cover having a tongueformed therewith, said tongue having grooves formed therein which aline with the longitudinally extending grooves in the box like structure when the cover is in place, and a semi-liquid substance adapted to be poured JosEPIi ST. CLAIR.

Witnesses:

EDW. W. AUSTIN, M. E. Yosr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C. 

